Joanne's Crush
by Raiderette Levin
Summary: Just a fun little story about Roy's high school days and how he and Joanne get together.
1. Chapter 1

"I love him."

"What's that?"

"I love him."

Florence "Flo" Carter took one last sip from her chocolate malt before setting it aside and turning to her friend, Joanne. "Love him? Joanne, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Roy."

"Roy DeSoto? Oh Joanne, No!" Flo clutched her hair in despair. "What on earth brought that trouble maker up?"

"I can't help it, Flo." Joanne slowly stirred her strawberry shake with her straw, daydreaming all the time about Roy, the boy she just now realized she was in love with.

"Joanne! Yoo hoo!" Flo waved a perfectly manicured hand in front of her friend's face.

"Oh Flo, stop it! I'm serious. Dead serious." She turned to Flo. "Know how you feel about Jimmy?"

"Jimmy isn't a trouble maker!"

"Neither is Roy!" Joanne shot back, defensively. "Flo, I've known him since the third grade!"

Flo rolled her eyes. "Have you forgotten he used to pull you pigtails and call you funny names?"

"Oh, but primary school was so long ago..." Joanne hung her head and looked down at the counter, defenselessly. "Please, Flo. I need help here. How do I get him to ask me out?" She looked to her friend.

"How should I know! Oh Joanne, let's forget this whole thing! It's silly!" Flo slurped the rest of her malt from her glass.

"Florence, that's just it. I can't forget, no matter how hard I try! Please?" She begged. "Oh please, Flo! You've gotta at least give him a chance!"

"Okay Joanne, you win."

A broad smile quickly spread across Joanne's pretty face. "You mean it?"

"Yes. I'll ask Jimmy for advice. He sort of knows Roy."

"Oh Flo!" Joanne threw her arms around her best friend. "I knew you'd understand!"

"Sure thing, Dolly. Just be careful, please? Promise me you'll be careful."

"Well, cross my heart and hope to die!" Joanne jumped up from the red-and-chrome barstool, not even bothering to finish her shake.

"Okay. Well, I'll ask Jimmy Monday." She stood as well. "Take it easy, would you? These things take time."

"I can't thank you enough!" Joanne gushed. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Joanne. Don't think about him too much. It ruins the whole thing. At least that's what Jimmy says."

"I won't." Joanne promised. But still, all the way home, she couldn't help but to think about Roy. 


	2. Chapter 2

Joanne couldn't help but think about Roy all weekend, despite what Flo had told her. He was handsome and talented, and more than anything, she just wanted to go out with him once, just to see what it was like!

The weekend seemed to drag by, and she felt as if she spent the whole time doing nothing.

"Quit moping, Joanne," Her mother told her sternly on Saturday.

"I'm not moping," Joanne defended, though she knew she probably was.

"Then why don't you help me with the housework?"

Joanne helped her mother with housework all day Saturday, but even so, she could not get her mind off Roy DeSoto.

Sunday after church seemed to go even slower because no chores were done on Sunday.

"If Roy liked me," Joanne thought, "I wouldn't be alone on Sundays. He'd take me out driving in his jalopy." Flo always went out driving with Jimmy on Sundays, and Joanne envied her. She always thought maybe she was too plain.

Flo was glamorous and had gorgeous red-gold hair she always had swept up in a bouffant. She had dark, full eyelashes that curved in all the right places, rouged her cheeks, and wore lipstick. Joanne, on the other hand, had plain blonde hair that she sometimes had up in a ponytail. She never bothered with mascara, and her mother said she didn't need lipstick or rouge.

Joanne was plain, and she figured Roy didn't like plain girls. Whenever she saw him in the hall, he seemed to be talking to beautiful, sophisticated girls, the type that Joanne didn't like and that didn't like Joanne.

She decided that maybe, just maybe, if she tried to be more like the other girls, Roy would notice her on his own accord. Maybe Flo would go shopping with her on Saturday.


	3. Chapter 3

Monday at school, Joanne's heart shattered, and so did her shopping plans. She began to wish for the first time in her life, that she had skipped Mr. West's journalism class. It wasn't the class that was bothering Joanne, it was Tessie Sullivan, her classmate.

Tessie sat in the row behind Joanne, between two of the most popular girls in her grade, Susan and Sherry.

"I had the best weekend!" Tessie sighed, which was the same thing she said nearly every Monday.

"Why?" Susan asked, twisting some of her hair around her finger.

"I went to the drive-in with Roy DeSoto!"

Joanne wanted to plug her ears, but for some reason, she just couldn't.

Tessie continued. "Oh! He's so much better than Roger and Kurt! I just adore him! He's so handsome and so--"

Joanne didn't want to hear anymore! It was too painful! Once a boy became involved with Tessie Sullivan, he was involved for life, at least, that's the way it always seemed.

It was no wonder to Joanne why Tessie was so popular. She had beautiful dark curls and looked a lot like Sophia Loren. Her wardrobe was too beautiful for words and her fingernails were always perfectly manicured. What boy wouldn't love her? Especially a boy like Roy DeSoto.


	4. Chapter 4

"Yoo hoo! Joanne!" The waving hand in front of Joanne's face brought her back into reality.

"Yes, Flo?"

"What's wrong with you? You haven't even touched your lunch!"

"I guess I'm just not hungry," Joanne said, softly, feeling a trifle embarrassed for admitting defeat against Tessie.

"Not hungry? Joanne!" Flo snorted. "You have the appetite of a bear."

"Want my applesauce?" Joanne offered her dessert to Flo. Her friend looked at her, strangely.

"You feeling alright, Dolly?"

"I'm fine, Flo." Joanne shifted her gaze down at her lunch.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Flo pressed the back of her cold hand up against Joanne's forehead. "Ohh, you do feel kind of warm..."

"Only because your hand's so cold!" The blonde slapped her friend's hand away.

Flo looked at her even more strangely. "Something's definitely not sitting right with you, and I know it's not your lunch, because you haven't even touched it!'

"Well, why wouldn't I be bothered?" Joanne started, gravely, still looking at the table. "My Roy went to the drive-in movies with Tessie Sullivan. You know what that means!"

"Dolly, there are some normal people who actually watch the movies! Like Jimmy and me."

"Yes, you and Jimmy, but not Tessie Sullivan."

Flo paused. "Okay, I can see your worry, but don't give up." She put a comforting hand on Joanne's shoulder. "Tessie's got a million admirers! She can't keep them all to herself!"

"She can when boys don't like plain Janes like me!"

Flo pursed her lips. "Okay Joanne, I'll tell you what. We'll go shopping this weekend, and make you so beautiful, that any man would be a goof not to gawk as you stroll down the hall."

Joanne smiled. "You mean it?"

"'Course I mean it, now eat up, Dolly, you've only got ten minutes left!"


	5. Chapter 5

Joanne and Flo went out shopping on Saturday. Flo knew just the right places to go to find Joanne the perfect thing to wear. They decided on a back-and-white polka-dot dress, something Flo assured Joanne she could see Tessie in.

"Oh Flo! It's perfect!" Joanne exclaimed, twirling in front of the mirror at the downtown dress shop.

"I agree completely. Now come on! Let's go find your shade of lipstick!"

Joanne had a lot of fun rushing from store to store with Flo. She wasn't used to spending so much time shopping for herself, but she had to look just right! She wasn't ready to surrender to Tessie just yet.

By the end of their spree, Joanne's feet ached and she couldn't wait to get home! She had bought a dress, lipstick, mascara, rouge, and a new barrette. Roy would have to notice her, now!

"That's all, right Flo?" She panted.

"Yep. That should do it. I'll show you how to put it on properly."

"Okay." Joanne felt like such a little girl! Here she was in high school, and she had never worn make-up before in her life. No wonder Roy never noticed her.

"Do you think it'll make me pretty, Flo?"

Flo chuckled. "You're already pretty, Dolly. It'll just make you look more grown-up, that's all?"

"You mean I look like a little girl?"

"Not a little girl, but you're no Marilyn Monroe. Come on, Joanne. Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

Joanne had to look in the mirror twice on Monday morning just to make sure the girl that stared back was really her. She had the same blonde hair and same colored eyes, but she looked so much more grown-up.

Joanne sighed. "Oh! I hope this works! I kind of liked the old Joanne better!" She glanced in the mirror one last time before grabbing her books and heading to the bus.

When she got to school, she was definitely noticed, actually, a lot more than what she was comfortable with. A lot of people stared, mostly boys, and some of her admirers let out a whistle as she walked by. Joanne, for once, wished she could just melt into the background. She wasn't used to this kind of attention and felt like some kind of animal at the zoo.

After one boy whistled, she heard him whisper to his friend: "It should be a crime to go around looking like that."

Another boy commented, "Makes me lose my mind!"

Joanne turned red with embarrassment and tried to ignore all of their remarks, hoping that Roy would notice her. She walked down the hall, eyes on the floor, and before she knew it, she ran into someone!

"I'm so sorry!" A voice called out.

Roy!

Joanne had been knocked on the floor, but was not otherwise hurt. Roy gathered up her books and offered her a hand up. Joanne took it.

As Roy helped her up, he said, "Are you okay? I should have been more--Joanne?"

Now, they were eye-to-eye. The surprise in Roy's voice made Joanne almost wish she hadn't come into school, today.

"I'm okay," She relpied, quickly, hoping to make a quick getaway.

Roy didn't surrender her books or her hand. His blue eyes were wide. "Joanne? Is that you?"

Joanne tried to keep her cool and forced a little smile. "Yes. This is a new dress."

"That's not all that's new," He studied her. "Wow, Joanne! You look like a real woman."

"Thank you." She blushed.

"I hardly recognized you."

"Well, it looks okay, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Fine." He replied.

"Well, thanks for picking up my books. I'd better get to class." She smiled once more before grabbing her books and running off to her first period.

"See ya..." Roy said, rather confused by her sudden outburst. He had never known Joanne to be so skittish. Hoping everything was alright, he headed off to his first period.


	7. Chapter 7

By the time the school day was over, Joanne had wished she could have disappeared at least a million times. She didn't like all the extra attention her new look was getting, and even worse, she must have really looked dumb in Roy's eyes. She felt like such a klutz!

When she got home, she locked herself in her room and flopped down on her bed. She couldn't wait to wash all that guck off her face and putting on something else. She was beginning to hate her new look even more than she had disliked her old one. At least the old one was her.

She stod up from her bed and looked in the mirror ."Oh Joanne! Look how awful you look! Nothing like Tessie! You could never be Tessie, after all!" She began dabbing off her lipstick.

She was tired of feeling so bitter and mean and selfish! Maybe she should give up on Roy! If he liked Tessie, she'd have to get used to it. Every boy did, anyways! She was just too plain! She'd never even gone out with the class nerd.

She flopped back on her bed, watching in the mirror as her mascara ran. "Oh Roy! I'm giving up on you! I'll never have you!"

Joanne didn't know why she did, but she wore the make-up to school, again. Thankfully, she didn't receive quite the same reaction as before. In fact, she wore her new look all week, and the comments quickly began to dwindle away.

Sadly, though, it wasn't working it's magic on Roy. Maybe Joanne was right to have given up on him. But deep down, she knew she couldn't and wouldn't give up on Roy.

Monday morning, she was at her locker getting out her books when she heard Roy talking to a friend. Beau Geraldson, Roy's best friend, had a locker just a few away from Joanne's. She listened in, though trying to go unnoticed.

Roy spoke first. "So. What do you think of Joanne's new look?"

"Eh, it's okay. But I think she's wishin' she was someone else."

"Yeah..." Roy sounded concerned. "I kinda liked the old Joanne, better."

Joanne stopped what she was doing, her eyes wide. Had she heard him wrong? No, she couldn't have!

She grabbed her books and rushed down the hall. "Oh, I'll never have to wear this awful stuff again!" She cheered. "Roy likes me best the way I am! Oh! I need to talk to Flo!" She scurried down the hall, bursting with joy about the good news.


	8. Chapter 8

Tuesday, Joanne didn't even look at her lipstick or mascara. Roy liked her better the way she was, and if Roy liked it, so did Joanne! She felt so much better to be back in her old splendor, well, if you could call it that.

When she arrived at school, she saw Roy at Beau's locker. She smiled and drifted past them to her locker, which she opened and began getting her things together.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Beau look up and motion towards her. Roy then turned to look at her and smiled.

"Later, Beau," Roy bid. He strolled over to Joanne and said a cheery, "Hi Joanne!"

"Hm?" Joanne tried to remain nonchalant, though her heart was racing. She looked up. "Oh! Hi Roy!" She smiled.

"Hi. I um..." He looked to the floor for a while, in thought. Finally, he looked up and said, "I just wanted to tell you that you look very nice today."

Her smile grew. "Oh! Thank you, Roy!"

"Is that a new dress?"

"No." She looked down at it. "In fact, it's one of my oldest ones."

"Perfect, I mean, cool. Looks great." Roy smiled. Was he nervous? "So? How's it going?"

"Fine. But I'm having a science test, Friday. I think I'm gonna fail!" She frowned.

"Who do you have?"

"Mr. Rodden."

"You don't say!" He grinned. "Me too! Maybe I could help you study?"

Was he asking her on a date? "I wouldn't want to bother you." Joanne looked away, hoping he wouldn't notice her blushing.

"No. No bother. I'd love to help you study!"

"Well... Okay then." She faced him. "When?"

"Um... You free today? I could meet you out front and we could go to the malt shoppe or something. Unless you'd rather go somewhere quieter..."

"No! The malt shoppe's fine!"

"Alright then. It's a date!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Does that make sense, now?"

"I think so." Joanne really wished that it would never make sense so she could stay at the malt shoppe with Roy forever! But he was a good teacher, and she finally understood her science.

"Good." Roy smiled and Joanne's heart melted. Roy was so handsome and nice, and Joanne liked him even more than she had imagined!

"Thanks for the soda."

"Oh, no problem!" Roy sipped at his cola.

"And thanks for the ride here. Your car's very nice."

"Oh. You like my old Mercury, eh? Beau helped me fix it up a little bit and make it faster."

"Beau works on cars?" Joanne could really care less about Beau, but at least she had started a successful conversation with Roy!

"Yeah. He figures he'll be a mechanic someday."

"I'd take my car to him! I'm sure a lot of the folks at school would."

"I'd only go to him!" Roy beamed. "He's a good guy."

Joanne nodded in agreement and sipped her cherry soda.

"So. What do you wanna be?"

"Hm?"

"After school. What are you gonna go to college for?"

"Um... I don't know. I thought maybe I'd wanna get married, instead." Hoping she didn't sound silly, she added quickly. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, I'm not sure, yet, but I was thinking of being a fireman. I wanna help people."

"That would be the perfect job for you, Roy!" She quieted, quickly, rather embarrassed by her sudden outbreak.

Roy didn't laugh, though. He smiled. "You think so?"

"Yes! I just know you'd love it!"

Roy slurped up the rest of his soda and said: "Hey Joanne? Maybe would you wanna go out with me sometime?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Would you hold still?"

"How can I? I'm going out with Roy tonight!"

Flo quickly clamped Joanne's necklace closed. "There."

Joanne sprang up. "Oh Flo! Can you believe it? He asked me out!"

"Of course I can believe it. Now slow down, Dolly. I gotta do your hair."

"Oh why bother? He likes me the way I am!"

Flo motioned for her friend to sit and Joanne obeyed. The strawberry blonde began brushing Joanne's honey-colored hair.

"That dress looks nice, Dolly."

"It was my last year's Easter dress. It's one of my favorites, too." Joanne looked admirably at the mint green dress and felt it between her fingers. She hoped Roy would like it as much as she did.

"If you're wondering if he'll like it, it's fine." Flo began to style her friend's hair.

"I _know_ it's perfect, Flo!"

"Okay..."

Once Joanne no longer felt Flo's fingers fiddling with her locks, she shot up and looked in her floor-length mirror. "How do I look?"

"Fine. Haven't I told you at least a dozen times?"

"Yes Flo."

"So, when's he going to pick you up?"

"Five-thirty sharp," Joanne replied.

"Yeah? Well, don't be upset if he's not 'sharp.'"

"You're silly. I wouldn't be. I made that part up." She lifted the curtains and peeked out. "Do you know what time it is?"

Flo shrugged. "But maybe you wanna get your shoes on?"

Joanne slipped her feet into her matching pumps and twirled. "I feel so pretty, Flo!"

"You should."

The doorbell was soon heard and Joanne jumped into action.

"Oh! Thank you, Flo! You're the best friend any girl could ever have in a million years!" She threw her arms around Flo in a big bear hug.

"You're welcome, Dolly. Now have fun, and don't keep the man waiting..."

"Yes, Flo!" Joanne grabbed her gloves and ran downstairs. She put on a white cardigan and threw the door open, hoping she didn't look _too _excited. "Hello?"

Roy smiled. "Hi Joanne. You ready to go?"

"Yes. I'll just tell my mother I'm going, now."

"Okay. I'll be here."


	11. Chapter 11

Joanne emerged from Roy's car, still feeling as if she were in a dream.

"I hope burgers are okay," He said. "I don't get paid until next week."

"Oh, that's perfectly fine!"_I don't care if you take me to a greasy spoon, Roy DeSoto,_ she thought.

They walked through the front doors of _Burger Haven _side-by-side. Joanne whispered very quietly to herself, "It really ought to be _burger heaven _tonight."

"What's that?" Roy asked.

"Oh, um, I'm just thinking out loud, sorry." She blushed, fearful of how dorky she must have sounded.

Roy smiled. "So I'm not the only one who does that?"

"What do you mean?" Joanne sat across from Roy in a booth by a window.

"I think out loud all the time. In fact, sometimes I even talk to myself..." He looked down in embarrassment. "Kind of dorky, huh?"

Joanne shook her read furiously. "Not at all! There is nothing wrong with it! I admire a person who will proudly say that they talk to them self!"

Roy looked up and grinned. "Honestly?"

"Sure as I'm at Burger Haven with you!"

He laughed in delight. "You're the first person who hasn't laughed at me for it!"

Joanne smiled. "Well, I've no reason to laugh at you, Roy."

"Thanks, Joanne."

A waitress came to bring them menus, mumbling that she'd be back in a few minutes.

"So..." Roy said as he studied his menu. "I guess I can't really ask you to tell me about yourself because I've known you for a long time."

"That's okay," She replied. "I'm much too boring to hear about, anyways."

"No you're not...You're one of the most interesting people I knew as a child."

"But what about now?"

"You're still one of the nicest girls I know. A good pitcher, too." He winked.

Joanne blushed and hid her face behind her menu. That Roy was such a catch! She never wanted the night to end! She knew it would have to eventually, but then, maybe there would be other dates... With Roy.

At least, she hoped so!


	12. Chapter 12

It seemed all of Joanne's dreams were suddenly becoming realities! Roy did indeed ask her out another time, and then another, and another… Most Saturdays, they were together, and sometimes on Sundays as well. Joanne was convinced that she had found him, her "Jimmy", the man she would love to marry. And he had been there since the third grade!

"Oh Flo!" Joanne sighed as her friend styled her hair for a drive-in movie date. "I'm so excited! Roy is actually taking me to the drive-in!"

"I hope you're excited because you wanted to see the film," Flo teased.

"Oh Flo! Stop it!" She blushed, knowing that the film could be two hours of nothing. She didn't care what the movie was when she would be sitting next to Roy, talking with him.

"All done. What do you think?"

Joanne stood and viewed herself in the mirror. Her dainty smile turned into a huge grin as she whirled around and hugged Flo tightly. "Oh Flo! You're the best!"

Flo laughed. "Woah, Dolly, calm down."

The doorbell rang and Joanne thrust on her heels. "Goodbye Flo! And thank you!"

"Sure thing, Dolly. Have fun."

She raced downstairs and jerked open the door. Sure enough, Roy was there. "Ready?"

"Yes," Joanne answered as she put on her coat.

The two of them stepped out into the night and got in Roy's Mercury.

"Thank you for taking me out tonight, Roy," She gushed.

He smiled. "Sure thing, Joanne. I like to take you out."

A few minutes later, they were pulling into a slot at the drive-in theatre. Roy rolled down the window and adjusted the sound mechanism.

"There we go," He said. "That ought to do it."

Though the speaker was set up correctly, Joanne couldn't remember what movie was playing. From the moment Roy put his arm around her shoulders, she felt like she was in another world.

"Joanne?" He said.

Joanne's heart was beating so loudly that all she could hear was it and Roy. "Yes Roy?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

Ask her something? Was this it? Was he going to propose?

"Yes?"

Roy reached in the pocket of his letterman as he asked, "Will you go steady with me?"

Joanne was filled with more excitement than she knew what to do with. What a wonderful surprise! She threw her arms around Roy, giving him a big hug. "Oh yes, Roy, yes!"

He laughed happily and hugged her back. "Here. I don't have a class ring yet, but here's a pin." He handed her the pin he had received for lettering in track.

"Oh Roy!" She accepted the small pin and studied it. No ring would ever look as beautiful to Joanne as that track pin did that night. "Can I put it on?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

Joanne clipped the small pin on her bodice and leaned into her boyfriend's embrace. "Oh Roy DeSoto," she whispered. "I love you."


End file.
